Microsoft Surface tablet: A big "fail" as a laptop replacement

The launch earlier today of Microsoft Surface shed some light on the potential capabilities of a platform destined to a great future. But we were left slightly disappointed by the Touch/Type covers that the company released that convert the tablet into something akin of a laptop.

Both keyboards are soft-type ones which means that you can only use them on a hard surface like a desk but would be a pain when trying to type on during a train commute. Furthermore, a kickstand need to be folded out for the tablets to stand on their own without support.

Fortunately though, it is likely that a flurry of accessories will go on sale following the official launch of Surface towards the end of the year with manufacturers like Belkin or Logitech filling the gaps left by Microsoft in its peripheral range.

And we would not be surprised to see a laptop dock, not unlike what Asus produced for its Eee Pad Transformer, appear towards the end of the year. Indeed, Asus (as well as other traditional Microsoft partners like HP, Dell or Acer) is likely to be involved in producing and selling tablets.